Papuan aspirations alive on social media

A West Papuan student activist says the dialogue over self-determination aspirations is still very much alive among young West Papuans through social media like Facebook.
The comment echoed a common theme at this week’s Comprehending West Papua conference in Sydney where the prospects in Indonesia’s Papua region for a popular uprising like the ones seen in North Africa and the Middle East were discussed.
Frederick Yawandare claims that ongoing mass mobilisations demanding change in Arab countries give fresh hope to Papuans frustrated with Indonesian rule.

“We learned that grassroots movements are the best power to take down a corrupt or dictatorship government. The world has changed and if we can learn from this experience about how they gain success in taking down their corrupt or failed governments, we West Papuans believe that if we can pursue the same path, maybe we can have the same success.”